SCARFACE (1932) Paul Muni plays Tony Camonte, (based on real life gangster Al Capone) a low level street thug who rapidly works his way up the ranks of the organized crime underworld to become a feared boss. What Hawks did brilliantly was capture the anarchic nature of the “live fast, die young” lifestyle of the Prohibition mobsters with an energy that’s palpable. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht based on the 1929 novel by Armitage Trail. While working on the script, Hecht was approached by Capone’s “representatives” who wanted to make sure it wasn’t about him. The story goes that this movie later actually became one of Capone’s personal favorites and he even owned a print to screen in private. After repeated demands for a script rewrite from the Hays Office, Producer Howard Hughes ordered Hawks to just shoot the film, he said: “Screw the Hays Office, make it as realistic, and grisly as possible.” Hawks later decided to include an X symbol above each of Camonte’s victims and offered each crew member a hundred dollars to think of a different way to depict the X for every death. This movie might have been made in the 1930s but if you watch it today it still packs a real bang. 50 years later Scarface was updated by Brian DePalma who dedicated his version to Hawks and Hecht.

BRINGING UP BABY (1938) A nerdy paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) who is trying to put the final piece of an ancient dinosaur together runs into a wealthy socialite Susan Vance (Katherine Hepburn) the niece of a potential sponsor for the museum he works for. Susan has been sent a small tame leopard named Baby by her brother to give to their mother as a gift. When David and Susan end up traveling to her house in the country with Baby, their brief trip turns into an all out hullabaloo. To me this film is the gold standard when it comes to screwball comedies. I’m actually not a fan of couples bickering a lot in movies but I can listen to Grant and Hepburn argue for hours since they were the perfect comedy duo. Katherine Hepburn was never funnier and more goofy as she was here. Hawks’ direction is also a sight to behold, I love some of the camera movements in this film which just add to the laughs. It’s a hysterical adventure that I can always enjoy just as much as I did the first time.

BALL OF FIRE (1941) This film, like Bringing Up Baby, is another screwball comedy about how opposites attract. A young beautiful Barbara Stanwyck plays sexy nightclub performer “Sugarpuss” O’Shea who meets a nerdy grammar professor named Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper). Potts is doing research on modern language and becomes obsessed with Sugarpuss because of her fast talking style. At first she doesn’t want anything to do with him but when she’s sought by the police who want to know the whereabouts of her mobster boyfriend (Dana Andrews) she hides out at Potts’ home. He lives with several other bachelor professors and they all have a fun time getting to know Sugarpuss who they regard as an exotic specimen. I really love the characters and humor in this film but the main thing I enjoyed was the focus on the slang terminology of the day and how it was used. This is one of my top 3 favorite Hawks’ comedies.

SERGEANT YORK (1941) Based on a true story, Gary Cooper plays Alvin York, a goodhearted, slightly dimwitted Tennessee hillbilly who is drafted to fight in World War I. Although York enters as a conscientious objector, he is soon discovered to be an exceptional marksman and stands out among the troops because of his affable personality. He is moved up to the rank of Corporal and battles the Germans, becoming an unlikely national hero who’s later awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor. The film won two Academy Awards the year it was released: Best Actor: Gary Cooper and Best Film Editing: William Holmes. To me this movie is like the Forrest Gump of its day. It’s got a great script/cast and as far as war genre films go, it is one of the most entertaining ever made.

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) When it comes to science fiction cinema, this movie which was credited to Christian Nyby (but which most people believe was directed by Hawks) is one of the all time greatest. An U.S. Air Force crew from Anchorage Alaska are chosen to head an expedition to search for what is thought to be a crashed spaceship. Inside a large block of ice lies an alien creature which is basically a giant vegetable. When the ice thaws, the “thing” (James Arness) goes on a rampage, forcing the team to try to figure out a way to destroy it. This film featured the trademark Hawks group banding together to fight outside forces, only here it was an alien bent on destroying them, not some outlaws in the Old West (as we’d later see in Rio Bravo). There are some truly shocking scares that will make you jump even if you’ve seen it before. It contains No major SFX, No Blood and No Gore, just good old fashioned slowly built up suspense and terror that will have you on the edge of your seat. John Carpenter’s remake was brilliant as well.

RIO BRAVO (1959) What can I say about this Western masterpiece that hasn’t already been said? It’s simply one of the most easy to watch movies ever made. For me this film is akin to slipping into a warm jacuzzi. Once the opening credits and music by Dimitri Tiompkin roll I’m stuck and won’t move for the next two hours. The characters are beautifully written and played by Wayne, Martin, Nelson, Dickinson and Brennan. They become your best friends and as they joke with each other and when they face danger you’re right there with them. This is one of those films that you either completely love or you don’t. I’d guess that most film fans who’ve seen it love it. Rio Bravo was my introduction to Director Howard Hawks and inspired me to seek out all his films.

EL DORADO (1966) For fans of the last film, this one’s story structure should seem very familiar. That’s because its essentially a remake with some slight adjustments. Instead of Claude Akins, this time Ed Asner is the villain. Robert Mitchum takes the place of Dean Martin as the town drunk/best friend, but he’s also the sheriff. Star John Wayne plays a drifter passing through town that chooses to stay until the conflict is over. Walter Brennan’s faithful old deputy Stumpy is replaced by Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt) and James Caan plays Mississippi, the stand in for Ricky Nelson’s young rookie Colorado. Is El Dorado as good as Rio Bravo? For me they’re very close. The original remains the best, but this one is just as fun to watch, contains another great cast and features some exciting action. One more detail you should know: it wasn’t the last remake of Rio Bravo, there was one more after it: Rio Lobo!

MAN’S FAVORITE SPORT? (1965) When I first saw this film I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It was originally to be a homage to Bringing Up Baby and was to again star Grant and Hepburn but that never worked out. Hawks then had to find two new actors to fill the lead roles and they ended up doing a fantastic job. Rock Hudson plays Roger Willoughby a sporting goods sales rep/fishing expert who is pursued by a nagging public relations woman named Abigail Page (Paula Prentiss) to take part in a big fishing tournament being held at a country club in the mountains. The trouble is Willoughby actually has been lying to keep his job and has never fished in his life. Roger runs into more trouble when it’s discovered that he’s basically a big klutz who can’t do much of anything that’s physically demanding. He and Abigail have a stormy relationship while staying at the campsite as he tries to maintain his status as a macho man who’s in control. Hudson and Prentiss do the same kind of screwy Grant/Hepburn arguing/romance schtick but it’s really just as enjoyable and funny because of the downright wacky gags (like a bear riding a minibike) that are set up over the course of the film. It should be noted that the loopy score by Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther) also increases the humor as it plays over the different hijinks Roger, Abigail and the other supporting characters get into. Hawks was able to pull off yet another screwball masterpiece with this outing. I’m not even sure if most longtime Hawks fans even consider it to be one of his best but I happen to love it.

Based on true events Charles Bronson stars as Albert Johnson, a Canadian trapper who rescues an injured German Shepherd from Hazel (Ed Lauter) a sadistic hunter who runs organized dog fights. After Johnson takes the animal back to his cabin to recuperate, Hazel and his thugs follow and ambush him. An angered Johnson retaliates, killing one of Hazel’s group. Believing him to actually be “The Mad Trapper”, a mysterious wanted killer, a group of Canadian mounties led by Sgt. Edgar Millen (Lee Marvin) are called in to bring Johnson to justice. The tension mounts and violence explodes as Millen and his men (Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers) try to get Johnson to surrender. It’s a cult classic action-thriller that fans of legendary Hollywood tough guys Bronson and Marvin will love. Co-starring Angie Dickinson and Maury Chaykin. BUY THE BLU RAY

MARK I: Origin and Betrayal

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is like a modern Howard Hughes meets Bill Gates. He’s an uber wealthy tech genius/playboy who owns Stark Industries, a company which manufactures the most badass weapons for mass destruction. When we first meet him hes on a promotional assignment in Afghanistan to showcase his latest super missile “The Jericho”. What starts off another cushy trip overseas to impress the U.S. government turns to horror when Tony’s armored military convoy is suddenly attacked by insurgents. Following a violent gunfight, he ends up the only one left alive and suffers a deadly shrapnel wound (caused by one of his own products). When he awakes he has been kidnapped by Raza (Faran Tahir) leader of a terrorist group known as The Ten Rings. Another hostage Yinsen (Shaun Toub), has fashioned a crude electromagnet to keep the pieces of metal in Stark’s heart from killing him. Once Tony recuperates Raza gives him a choice: build them a new Jericho missile or die. With Yinsen’s help he begins working, but soon he has an idea to build a miniature version of Stark Industries’ Arc Reactor. This device will take the place of the electromagnet he has to lug around. Most importantly it will also power a mechanical suit that he will build to help him and Yinsen escape. Stark is finally able to get out due to Yinsen giving him extra time in turn sacrificing himself. Stark’s Iron suit is equipped with weapons including a flamethrower which take out the enemy combatants with furiosity. This sequence is one of the most thrilling in the entire series. The way its set up and executed is just supremely cool and memorable. After walking through the desert, Tony is finally rescued by the U.S. Air Force led by his best friend Col. James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and brought back to the States.

Upon Tony’s return his newfound sense of responsibility inspires him to stop selling weapons of death and do something more creative with his life and Stark Industries. Tony also decides to personally take on the forces of evil in the world by using his arc reactor energy to power a new suit based on the one he made while being held prisoner. His faithful secretary Virginia “Pepper” Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) and chauffer/bodyguard “Happy” Hogan (Jon Favreau) are always there by his side too. Tony’s partner at Stark Industries, the shady Obidiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is glad to have him back, but its soon revealed that he has alterior motives to get rid of Tony and steal the Arc reactor technology to make even bigger, badder weapons to rule the world. He also recovers pieces of the Mark 1 armor from the Ten Rings (who he hired to kill Tony) and uses it to create his own “Iron Monger” suit.

Why did Iron Man turn out to be such a great movie? Was it the cool SFX? The story? The direction? Surely all of those things were important, but the main reason the film was off the chain was its star Robert Downey Jr. When I was growing up RDJ (as we now refer to him) was not a super hero type actor. He was merely the jokester kid who would add a certain eccentric style of humor to whatever film he was in. I was always a fan because he represented that 80s punk attitude of fun and edginess (see Less Than Zero, Back To School, Johnny Be Good). In the 90s the film he was in that really impressed me was Chaplin, he gave a brilliant performance as the legendary artist and proved he had some chops we hadn’t seen before. For many years after that RDJ sort of fell off my radar and he obviously had many personal troubles that you probably know about. Flash forward to 2008, he auditioned for the role of Tony Stark, nailed it and got the gig. All I can say is we as fans owe a big Thanks to Marvel and the people who gave him the chance for a comeback because as of today, Iron Man is my favorite super hero and film series. If anyone was born to play Tony Stark it was RDJ.

Another big reason the film was a triumph was the fact this kind of super hero seems realistic to viewers. We can envision this technology being possible and its not so far removed from our real world as other more outlandish heroes might be. Iron Man could even be seen as a metaphor for RDJ’s own life. Like Tony he had fallen but rose out of the dark place he was in and emerged a better person. The humor employed throughout these movies is really integral part of the whole and keeps it grounded. We see it in Tony and Pepper’s relationship which has that classic Hepburn/Tracy style of bickering back and forth. The special FX and CGI is of course a major factor that is superbly done and makes you feel like it’s happening in front of your eyes. There’s basically nothing to complain about on that front. Jeff Bridges, who is known for playing more mellow characters (see The Dude) does a 180 as Obidiah Stane. He actually gets furious in this role, and I thought his unusual cueballed look and weaselly, super greedy, diabolical persona made him a great villain. Overall, Jon Favreau & Co. did an amazing job bringing the Iron Man character/universe to life and delivered an instant classic Marvel movie.

MARK II: Legacy and Discovery

In the sequel, Tony Stark has revealed to the world he is in fact The Invincible Iron Man. Across the globe in the frigid environs of Russia, someone is listening to his words on the TV. A man who has ties to Stark that he doesn’t even know about: Anton Vanko, the co-creator of the Arc Reactor technology who was deported by Howard Stark decades earlier. Vanko is now on his death bed while his son Ivan (Mickey Rourke) also a scientist, watches on in sadness. As his father passes away Ivan yells out angrily in defiance. He decides to seek revenge on the Stark family and does so by building his own mini arc reactor thanks to a Stark Industries blueprint his father kept hidden. Ivan puts his own spin on the design by creating two handheld currents of energy that will be the whip like weapons he wields. Meanwhile back in the States, Tony is hosting the Stark Expo, a year long celebration of technology founded by his father which is being held in Flushing, NY. While that is going on, he’s been pressured by the U.S. government to hand over his Iron Man tech but he flatly refuses. The hearing committee, including the vindictive Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) show him footage of different countries testing their own suits (all of which fail) including the weapons manufacturer Hammer Industries, who’ve taken the place of Stark’s company in that field. It’s run by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) a fast talking shyster and Tony wannabe, who is essentially a lowlife with delusions of grandeur. After telling Stern and the others to get bent, Tony takes off for a little vacation in Monaco where the Grand Prix is being held. He also decides at the last minute to race for Stark Industries. What he doesn’t realize is that Ivan Vanko is there with his weaponized whips of energy. During the race Vanko ambushes Tony and nearly kills him but luckily, Tony is saved by his latest Armor which is contained in a special carrying case under guard by his bodyguard/chauffer Happy Hogan. Iron Man quickly subdues Vanko and destroys the second arc reactor he built. Vanko is imprisoned but is busted out thanks to none other than Tony’s competitor Justin Hammer. Hammer hires Vanko to build him a fleet of super suits which can be manned by soldiers in hopes he can sell them to the U.S. government and thwart Tony’s single handed defense status as Iron Man. Vanko agrees to help him but secretly has other plans of his own.

With Pepper promoted as new CEO of Stark Industries, Tony hires a new secretary Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) to take her place. Natalie has an exceptional resume and is beautiful as well. Tony doesn’t know what to make of her due to her steely personality. It’s later revealed by Cmdr. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) head of the secret agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. she is in fact a spy to watch over him. At Tony’s birthday party he gets sloppy drunk while in his armor and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) becomes angered by this. After Rhodey steals one of the other armored suits, the two friends have a knock down fistfight (with music supplied by DJ AM). Its a cool, funky high-tech boxing match as the shellheads clank themselves around until they’re worn out. Rhodes takes off with his suit and brings it to the Air Force Base. Tony has realized he needs to let the government have some control over his technology. Since the palladium he uses to help keep the mini arcs running is both keeping him alive and killing him because of blood toxicity, his only hope is to create a new element to keep him healthy. Thanks to Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. (but most importantly a clue left by his long dead father Howard) Tony discovers a secret hidden map of a new element for his mini arc reactor. While he is occupied with that task, what he doesn’t know is that Vanko and Hammer are going to surprise him at the Expo.

Iron Man 2 starts out fantastic with Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko who’s introduced as a very menacing villain. I was sort of dissapointed because after his first attack sequence he basically becomes a hired stooge for Justin Hammer and lets himself be treated like a child. If you have a master thespian like Mickster in your film you have to give him more to do than say “Very goot min”. The big finale was slightly cliche (CGI overload) and kind of lacking on the imagination side. It takes the entire movie to bring Whiplash back and his second battle scene is rather short. I later found out Jon Favreau was not able to realize his original vision due to studio interference so this was the reason some of the film seemed a bit off, which is too bad.

Scarlett Johansson’s Natalie Rushman aka Natasha Romanov/Codename: Black Widow is sexy and also comical as she tries to keep her real identity hidden from Tony as his new secretary. She later gets to show off her super skills as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and it’s thrilling to watch. I really enjoyed Sam Rockwell’s portrayal of Justin Hammer. I’ve been a fan of him since I saw A Box of Moonlight, a little 90s indie film. He plays Hammer as a mix of Woody Allen and Easy Andy from Taxi Driver. He’s wheelin, he’s dealin, he’s schmoozing…but he’s losing. What’s cool is he’s not your typical “bad guy” but rather played as an opportunistic schmuck. Don Cheadle who took over as Col. James Rhodes aka War Machine for Terrence Howard does a solid job and hes a great foil for RDJ’s Tony as the two have some conflicts of interest but still crack jokes and remain good pals while getting each others backs in the big finale.

MARK III: The Inner Hero and Perception

The third installment of the Iron Man series picks up after the events of The Avengers with a more world weary Tony Stark who has spent most of his time laying low and tinkering in his home workshop. His latest high tech suit is the Mark 42, which can be summoned to him in pieces from any location. Along with JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany) his faithful A.I. computer, Stark tries to get it working correctly and provides some very comical and cool moments while doing so. Since we last saw them, Tony and Pepper have gotten more serious and moved in together. They are very much in love as they bicker and trade verbal jabs with passion. We also learn that due to his experience in New York fighting the Chitauri, Tony now suffers from post traumatic stress which causes nightmares and panic attacks. As he tries to control these issues, a terrorist called The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) appears and targets various cites around the world. He broadcasts theatrical messages to the public at large with his main focus being The President of The United States (William Sadler). Tony’s best friend Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) has had his gun metal gray War Machine suit revamped to a flashier red white and blue theme along with a new moniker: “Iron Patriot”. The President orders Rhodes/Iron Patriot to seek out The Mandarin and bring him to justice but his various attempts don’t go as planned.

Two old acquaintances from both Tony and Pepper’s past, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) are scientists who run Advanced Idea Mechanics (or A.I.M.) a company that is working on new experiments to help humanity. Killian tries to impress Pepper by giving her a presentation of his concepts but Happy (Jon Favreau) becomes suspicious. It soon becomes apparent that Killian does in fact have alterior motives in the form of the “Extremis” project in which war veterans are injected with a serum that gives them regenerative powers. At Mann’s Chinese Theater an attack is carried out by Savin (James Badge Dale) one of the Extremis subjects and Happy is seriously hurt and hospitalized. Enraged by his friend’s condition, Tony calls out The Mandarin on live TV giving him his home address. Soon after his seaside mansion is destroyed by Mandarin’s soldiers during a helicopter ambush. Tony suddenly finds himself cast out of his sanctuary and is forced to rely on his intellect and non-armored bravery to take down The Mandarin. Along the way he encounters Harley (Ty Simpkins) a young kid from Tennessee that befriends him as he tries to uncover the mystery behind the evil.

The cast are outstanding with of course two greats, Sir Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce bringing highly stylized performances that will impress. While observing Sir Ben play The Mandarin I couldn’t help but think of where I heard his chosen speaking voice before. If he’s not doing an imitation of Richard “I’m Not A Crook” Nixon, then I guess I should have my ears checked. Guy Pearce’s transition from handicapped goofball into the suave, diabolical Aldrich Killian is easily one of his best post L.A. Confidential roles. Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen brings an interesting mixture of innocence, vulnerability and conflicted purpose to her character that I appreciated. James Badge Dale (The Departed) plays Savin with an aloof, smug, nastiness and you can tell he savored being a baddie. He reminded me of the types of eccentric crazies in Shane Black’s older action scripts like Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon) or Taylor Negron (The Last Boy Scout). RDJ IS Iron Man, but he definitely was able to show us yet another side of the character due to his new found mental troubles. I think that simply made him seem even more human and only deepened his already superb portrayal. In a nice twist even Gwenyth’s Pepper Potts gets to do more than just argue and run Stark Industries this time and all I can say is I was really having a blast watching her glowing hot in the last half of the movie. Don Cheadle’s Rhodey is as sharp and honorable as always and he gets some truly badass action sequences to be a part of, ultimately proving he doesn’t need the Iron Patriot armor to be a super hero.

Iron Man 3 has some odd moments and there’s sections where you don’t quite know where it’s going but when it’s working the payoffs are as jawdropping and spectacular as anything we’ve seen in the franchise so far. While watching I found myself admiring just how different it seemed tonally compared to the previous two. I could tell Shane Black had a blast taking the established Iron Man universe in different directions and playing rascally puppetmaster with audience expectations presenting one surprise after another. I think some comic book purists might be annoyed by some of his choices, but I personally found them hilarious, cool and clever. I completely appreciated Black and Downey shaking things up and going outside the box making IM3 more of a personal genre film as well. In the end I think that is actually essential to these movies because it will keep them fresh and interesting each time out. My hope is that with every sequel we’ll get new writers and directors who will bring their own unique visions of Iron Man to the big screen.

1. Psycho (1960, Dir: Alfred Hitchcock) Hitchcock, like Orson Welles’ and his film Touch of Evil took what was supposed to be a low budget genre exercise and turned it into something much more. He essentially made the first true slasher film and brought his mastery of visual storytelling to another level. This movie is a great scene by scene lesson in editing and direction. BUY THE BLU RAY

2. Cape Fear (1962, Dir: J. Lee Thompson) A newly released ex-convict (Robert Mitchum) returns to get revenge on the lawyer (Gregory Peck) who helped put him away. A classic thriller which was later remade by Martin Scorsese (with even better results). BUY THE BLU RAY

3. The Killers (1964, Dir: Don Siegel) In this second film adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway story, two hitmen played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager are hired to kill Johnny North (John Cassavetes). After carrying out the job and noticing something wasn’t right they investigate the reason behind North being marked. Co-starring Angie Dickinson, Ronald Reagan, Normal Fell and Claude Akins. BUY THE DVD

4. Dark of the Sun (1968, Dir: Jack Cardiff) Based on the real life Congo Crisis of the 1960s which was occurring when the film was made, Rod Taylor plays Bruce Curry a merc who is hired by President Ubi (Calvin Lockhart) to rescue European residents of an isolated town which is being attacked by Simbas deep in the jungles of Africa. This is actually a front for what Curry is really being paid for: retrieve a cache of priceless diamonds from a mine’s company vault. Along with his friend Ruffo (Jim Brown) and an ex-Nazi named Heinlein (Peter Carsten) the men set off on a train and encounter a myriad of obstacles which causes a disruption within their outfit. BUY THE DVD

5. In the Heat of The Night (1967: Dir: Norman Jewison) Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) an expert detective from the big city of Philadelphia travels to Sparta Mississippi to help a local sheriff (Rod Steiger) solve a mysterious murder. This film was made at the height of the Civil Rights movement and was groundbreaking in how it dealt with the evils of racism. BUY THE BLU DVD

6. Cool Hand Luke (1967, Dir: Stuart Rosenberg) Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) a rebellious war veteran can’t seem to follow the rules of society. After being arrested for cutting the heads of parking meters he’s tossed on a Florida chain gang where he continues to buck the system, becoming a hero to his fellow prisoners. BUY THE BLU RAY

7. The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1966, Dir: Sergio Leone) Set during the tail end of The Civil War, this epic spaghetti western about three outlaws after a cache of Confederate gold is a benchmark work of cinema. BUY THE BLU RAY

8. It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1965, Dir: Stanley Kramer) Criminal Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante) tells a group of onlookers about a hidden treasure before he dies following a car accident. This sets off a frantic race to find it at any cost. Along the way the group encounter all sorts of obstacles and colorful characters. A truly epic screwball road movie/treasure hunt! BUY THE BLU RAY

9. Rosemarys Baby (1968, Dir: Roman Polanski) Psychological thrillers don’t get much better than this story about a newlyweds Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy Woodhouse (John Cassavetes) who find themselves living next to satanic cult members in a NYC apartment building. Paranoia and hallucinatory elements crank the tension up to intense levels. BUY THE BLU RAY

10. Dr. Strangelove (1964, Dir: Stanley Kubrick) All of Stanley Kubrick’s films set around war (Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket) seemed to share common threads: the equally nihilistic and downright idiotic attitudes that are present by many of those in charge. This hilarious black comedy focuses on the unfunny topic of nuclear war and the buffoons that hold the lives of millions in their hands. Legendary comic actor Peter Sellers plays several different offbeat characters, all of whom are some of the zaniest he’s ever created besides his iconic clod Inspector Clouseau. BUY THE BLU RAY

11. 8 1/2 (1963, Dir: Federico Fellini) A visually mesmerizing surrealistic masterpiece about a film director (Marcello Mastrianni) who is suffering from a creative block. As he tries to work on his sci-fi project, we see into his mind through surreal flashbacks and visions all of which are mixed together with reality. BUY THE BLU RAY

12. The Apartment (1960, Dir: Billy Wilder) Billy Wilder’s romantic comedy about an insurance company worker named C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) who rents out his bachelor pad to office supervisors for their weekly flings is a true gem of its time. Baxter begins to fall in love with Ms Kubilik (Shirley MacLaine) a cute elevator operator that is secretly trying to leave her past relationship with a womanizing CEO (Fred McMurray) (who is also Baxter’s boss) behind. BUY THE BLU RAY

13. The Wild Bunch (1969, Dir: Sam Peckinpah) Sam Peckinpah’s ode to the end of the Old West and the wild world of the outlaw was a beautiful and violent masterpiece of filmmaking. An epic study of honor among bandits that’s filled with beautiful cinematography, humor and visceral action. BUY THE BLU RAY

14. Blowup (1966, Dir: Michaelangelo Antonioni) Antonioni’s swinging 60s mystery about a freewheeling fashion photographer (David Hemmings) who unknowingly captures a murder on film is a visually intricate masterpiece with a counter-culture edge. The film’s plot inspired several film re-inventions which came later including The Conversation and Blow Out. BUY THE DVD

15. Bonnie & Clyde (1967, Dir: Arthur Penn) One of the main forerunners of the New Hollywood era which ushered in the 1970s. An explosive, funny and stylized portrait of the real life criminal lovers who robbed their way through the midwest in the 1930s. Featuring amazing performances by the entire cast including Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Michael J Pollard. BUY THE BLU RAY

16. Bullitt (1968, Dir: Peter Yates) Before Dirty Harry came along, Steve McQueen played Frank Bullitt another tough San Francisco cop who tries to uncover a mystery stemming from a witness murdered while in police custody. This film is probably most well known because it features one of the greatest (and most furious) car chases ever filmed. BUY THE BLU RAY

17. The Dirty Dozen (1967, Dir: Robert Aldrich) A group of American World War II soldiers turned criminals set to be executed are given a reprieve if they can take out a gathering of Nazi officers successfully. One of the best Men on a Mission films ever made. BUY THE BLU RAY

18. Easy Rider (1969, Dir: Dennis Hopper) Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda were both veterans of the biker movie genre but with this story they decided to break out of that box and find something more meaningful and important to explore. They play two hippies that are on a motorcycle trip to Mardi Gras but that is just what is on the surface. At its core, the movie is a counterculture, rock and roll driven journey about the idea of what freedom really means. BUY THE BLU RAY

19. Faces (1968, Dir: John Cassavetes) Whenever I watch John Cassavetes’ films, I really connect with them, much more than I do with say the Nouvelle Vague era (I’d take a Cassavetes film over a Godard anytime). This film is a prime example of the power of low budget filmmaking and how people in front of a camera expressing all their emotions can be just as entertaining as a big action spectacle. Like with many of his films it’s extremely funny and a realistic view of how human’s interact with each other in all their goofiness and ugliness. BUY THE DVD

20. Danger: Diabolik (1967, Dir: Mario Bava) In the late 60s, America had Adam West as Batman and Italy had a popular fumetti character, the master criminal known as Diabolik (John Phillip Law). Mario Bava crafted a colorful, highly inventive low budget action-adventure film that showcased his brilliance and inventiveness both as a cinematographer and filmmaker. BUY THE DVD

21. The Great Escape (1963, Dir: John Sturges) Based on a true story about World War II POWs that dig a tunnel beneath the German Stalag to break out. Featuring an all star cast of actors including Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Garner, Richard Attenborough and Donald Pleasance. BUY THE BLU RAY

22. The Birds (1963, Dir: Alfred Hitchcock) A small Northern California town is terrorized by winged nasties. A very simple plot but an extremely entertaining,  suspense filled Eco-terror classic. Starring Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. BUY THE DVD

23. Hud (1963, Dir: Martin Ritt) Paul Newman stars as Hud, the eldest son of a cattle rancher (Melvyn Douglas). Hud’s younger brother (Brandon DeWilde) and the family maid (Patricia Neal) try to get along with him but his cruel, selfish personality causes a destructive rift in the family. One of Paul Newman’s finest performances. BUY THE DVD

24. A Raisin In the Sun (1961, Dir: Daniel Petrie) An African-American family in the city struggle to seek a better life. One of our favorite Mad As Hell Sidney Poitier films. Co-starring Ruby Dee, Claudia MacNeil and Diana Sands. Based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry. BUY THE DVD

25. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, Dir: John Ford) John Ford is a filmmaker who I’ve seen a number of films by, but this Western about a small town lawyer (Jimmy Stewart) who is the target of an violent outlaw/bully (Lee Marvin) is one of his most exciting films. I love the characters in the town (what an amazing supporting cast!) and the way the story is told through flashbacks and tense confrontations. It really captures the wild atmosphere of what it must’ve been like back in those days. There’s a violence and trepidation that hangs over the scenes because of Marvin’s Valance who even when hes not on screen remains a dangerous presence. Everything in this movie seems bigger than life, even the steaks served at the local restaraunt/saloon! BUY THE BLU RAY

26. Medium Cool (1969, Dir: Haskell Wexler) A powerful experimental film by DP/director Haskell Wexler that mixed cinema verite and fictional drama together causing a unique outcome. Robert Forster plays a TV news cameraman who becomes disallusioned after discovering his company is providing the FBI with information taken from different journalists. The most memorable scenes were filmed during a real riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago which was set within the story. BUY THE BLU RAY

27. Midnight Cowboy (1969, Dir: John Schlesinger) – Two outsiders, a male hustler from the South named Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and a grimy street urchin named Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) become friends and help each other survive in the Big Apple. A very emotional and daring work of counterculture cinema from the end of the 60s. Featuring a fantastic theme/score by Harry Nilsson. BUY THE BLU RAY

28. Peeping Tom (1960, Dir: Michael Powell) This disturbing but captivating psychological thriller about an obsessive filmmaker/serial killer comments on the dangers of voyeurism and the twisted results of mental abuse. It is probably even more relevant today than it was when it was made. Sadly, it was a film that seriously damaged Powell’s career due to the critical disdain. BUY THE DVD

29. Point Blank (1967, Dir: John Boorman) Lee Marvin is Walker, a man who was left for dead and is back to seek revenge and the money that was stolen from him. A truly furious classic! Co-starring John Vernon, Angie Dickinson and Carroll O’Connor. Based on the Parker character by Donald Westlake. BUY THE DVD

30. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965, Dir: Russ Meyer) Three buxom go go girls (Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams) take off in their sportscars on a little road trip and find out about an old man who has some money hidden on his land. The girls decide to try to use their good looks to steal it, but their simple plan doesn’t go as easily as they had wished. A super blast of cinematic action and eroticism shot in stark black and white from the busty babe obsessed Russ Meyer. BUY THE DVD

31. Modesty Blaise (1966, Dir: Joseph Losey) A psychedelic, highly stylized spy-fi adventure starring Italian beauty Monica Vitti based on the book by Peter O’Donnell. One of the best and most unique films patterned after the James Bond series at the height of its popularity. BUY THE DVD

32. Shock Corridor (1964, Dir: Sam Fuller) A reporter (Peter Breck) goes undercover into a mental hospital to solve a murder but while investigating begins to go crazy himself. A mad as hell pulp tale. BUY THE BLU RAY

33. Requiem For a Heavyweight (1962, Dir: Ralph Nelson) One of the finest dramas revolving around the sport of boxing which preceded such classics as Rocky and Raging Bull. The screenplay was written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling and features incredsible performances from Anthony Quinn, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Gleason and Julie Harris. BUY THE DVD

34. Gambit (1966, Dir: Ronald Neame) This con caper gem stars Michael Caine and Shirley MacClaine as two burglars who team up to steal a priceless antique from Mr. Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) the worlds richest man. BUY THE DVD

35. El Dorado (1966, Dir: Howard Hawks) In this remake of Rio Bravo, John Wayne plays Cole Thornton a drifter who is caught up in a ranchers wrath on his old friend, a town sheriff (Robert Mitchum) that has become a drunk. Co-starring James Caan and Christopher George. BUY THE DVD

36. Seconds (1966, Dir: John Frankenheimer) A story about a secret organization that grants certain people a wish of restarting their lives with a new identity. A visually stylized, twisted neo noir which stars Rock Hudson, Will Geer and Jeff Corey. BUY THE DVD

37. In Cold Blood (1967, Dir: Richard Brooks) Two criminals (Scott Wilson and Robert Blake) out to steal some money from a family end up killing them all. This captivating true story was based on the book by Truman Capote and is a character study of the men as they travel on the road while evading the law. BUY THE BLU RAY

38. X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963, Dir: Roger Corman) Low budgets be damned, Roger Corman created this enthralling, fast paced story about a doctor named Xavier (Ray Milland) who creates a miraculous x-ray vision serum. The only problem is the side effects cause Xavier to go a bit mad. Soon he is on the run from the law while trying to reach the outer limits of the power he has discovered. A fantastic little sci-fi B-thriller that delivers. BUY THE DVD

39. Planet of the Apes (1968, Dir: Franklin Schaffner) A group of U.S. astronauts led by Taylor (Charlton Heston) crash land on a planet where they encounter a race of human hating apes. One of our favorite mad as hell sci-fi/adventures! BUY THE DVD

40. Once Upon A Time in The West (1968, Dir: Sergio Leone) This sprawling epic masterpiece focuses on the modern changes in the West and also a personal tale of one man’s need for revenge. Starring Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda and Jason Robards. BUY THE BLU RAY

41. Breathless (1960, Dir: Jean Luc Godard) A wannabe Humphrey Bogart/French criminal on the lam (Jean Paul Belmondo) falls in love with an American journalist (Jean Seberg). This directorial debut from the Nouvelle Vague’s original “Enfant Terrible” is also our favorite for its furious style, inventive camerawork and editing. BUY THE BLU RAY

42. Targets (1968, Dir: Peter Bogdanovich) Producer Roger Corman gave first time director Peter Bogdanovich the chance to make a film if he could incorporate leftover footage from his movie The Terror (1963) and Karloff himself. What he created was this intrigiuing two tier story about a legendary horror film actor (Karloff) on the verge of retirement and a psychotic sniper (Tim O’Kelly) who goes on a killing spree. BUY THE DVD

43. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, Dir: George Roy Hill) Based on the true story of the legendary outlaws starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. One of the greatest Westerns ever made. BUY THE BLU RAY

44. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, Dir: Peter R. Hunt)First time actor George Lazenby only played James Bond 007 once but in our opinion he was outstanding as the legendary British spy and should’ve been cast in more of the films. BUY THE BLU RAY

45. Take The Money and Run (1969, Dir: Woody Allen) In his hilarious directorial debut, comedy writer/stand up comic turned filmmaker Woody Allen plays criminal Virgil Starkwell. This film follows his life from early childhood when he committed petty crimes to his adult years where he falls in love and robs banks. BUY THE DVD

46. Yojimbo (1961, Dir: Akira Kurosawa) If you loved Sergio Leone’s Fistful of Dollars (1964), you should definitely check out the original film it was based on. Starring the great Toshiro Mifune as a lone samurai who plays two warring factions against each other. BUY THE BLU RAY

47. The Producers (1968, Dir: Mel Brooks) Mel Brooks’ directorial debut tells the tale of Broadway producer/shyster Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his new accountant (Gene Wilder) who come up with a foolproof plan to make lots of dough. They’ll produce a massive flop then use the non refundable investment money to split out of the country. Only the play, distastefully titled “Springtime For Hitler” which they expect to close in one day, ends up being a smash hit. This movie is a furiously funny masterpiece. BUY THE BLU RAY

48. Putney Swope (1969, Dir: Robert Downey) An offbeat, funny, very clever satire about the world of advertising, corporate power structures and portrayal of race in popular culture. BUY THE DVD

49. Night of the Living Dead (1968, Dir: George A. Romero) A group of Pennsylvania residents are trapped in a country house when the dead rise from graves and begin attacking. A paranoia induced B-movie classic which spawned a new subgenre. BUY THE DVD

50. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Dir: Stanley Kubrick) This existential sci-fi epic was a benchmark for its technical innovation and storytelling methods. It is definitely a film that is best experienced on the big screen in all its visual splendor although a hi-definition Blu Ray on a big TV screen should work for home viewing. BUY THE BLU RAY

What are some of YOUR favorite furious films of the 60s? Let us know in our comments section!

Flash Point (2007)

Not to be confused with the sub par TV show of the same name. Flash Point is not strictly a martial arts movie. It also has it’s fair share of gunplay. At times it seems like a John Woo movie, which is a good thing. I got a real Hard Boiled kind of vibe off of Flash Point. There are a number of small similarities between the two films. I wondered if it was an inspiration.

Flash Point, much like Legend of the Fist, opens with an action scene but it is very short. It’s only about a minute and a half long, but it sets the tone and style of the movie. It is one continuous dolly shot which really looks great.

The next big chunk of the movie sets up the story which is actually rather cliche. There’s an undercover cop, a girlfriend in danger, a loose cannon cop who takes the law into his own hands and a bad guy above the law. It’s all been done before, the only slight difference is that instead of following the undercover cop whose girlfriend gets kidnapped, we follow his partner played by Donnie Yen. Not many movies do that, most films have you follow the center of the conflict but I think it was a smart move.

Flash Point has an interesting set of characters. Their development is done well and each has a unique personality, which is something that a lot of action films don’t bother with. At times we follow both the good guys and the bad guys. Wison Yip the director does a very good job. He brings a definite style to the film where it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is a nice lighthearted tone that welcomes comedy into the action.

Most of the acting is good, with one really terrible performance that sticks out. There is a woman who plays a cop in an action scene. She hasn’t been in the movie up to that point, so this is our introduction to her. People start shooting and she’s undercover with another cop. She’s supposed to be either terrified or caught up in the action, but instead she’s just smiling away. She is obliviously happy while being shot at but the movie tries to inject tension when she dies. She gets killed and it’s supposed to be this dramatic angry moment when really it was her own fault she died. The audience doesn’t even know her before it happens. I don’t even think she has a name, just one poorly acted scene. You simply can’t introduce someone in the same scene you kill them off and expect there to be a big dramatic payoff.

The relationship between the undercover cop and his girlfriend is a big part of the movie. The entire final fight scene happens because of them. The problem is that I don’t really buy their relationship. Maybe it’s the writing or maybe they just have poor onscreen chemistry, but I didn’t feel the passion that was supposed to have fueled this suicidal charge at the end.

Donnie Yen is also the action director and he brings incredible sequences to Flash Point. There are some great chase and fight scenes. Two in particular stand out: The first is a parkour chase through the city that leads to a one on one fight in a market. Both aspects of this scene are awesome and well performed by both men. The final sequence just makes the movie.

The big finale is a two part action sequence. The first part is a John Woo-esque shootout between Donnie Yen and all the bad guys. It is very well done and this is where I started to notice the cool camera angles and pans. The camerawork may not be important to the casual film viewer, but it does play an important role in the effectiveness of any movie. This shootout showcases some awesome sniper rifle work which again makes me wish that there were more sniper gunfights in movies. We do have some films about snipers like Shooter or Sniper, but there is always room for more. One of the main villains dies one of the coolest on screen deaths from any film during this shootout. Start spoiler * He is blasted into the air and skeet shot several times with the sniper rifle as he falls down onto the roof of a car. Awesome. * End spoiler.

After the gunfight it’s down to Donnie Yen and one of the main villains. No guns just fighting. This fight is incredible, it’s long, varied and brutal. The actors take some impressive falls and daring full contact hits. This is the highlight of the whole film. I would say that most of the film is not quite there but this final battle makes it worth watching.

In closing I would say that neither of these movies are bad, but they’re not that great either. They both have great moments, but fail to deliver a consistently great experience throughout. Both tend to drag, but the action is showstopping. I enjoyed Flash Point more than Legend of the Fist. If you’re going to choose, then I would say, go with that one.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010)

This title seems very cliche and uninspired. “Legend of the Fist” is rather bland and it doesn’t do a whole lot to separate itself from other action movies. However the 2nd half of the title is a bit more interesting: “The Return of Chen Zhen”. Chen Zhen is a character that has been in many martial arts movies and was played by a number of accomplished martial artists including Jet Li. He was first played by Bruce Lee in The Chinese Connection. So Chen Zhen is definitely a character worth noting. The “Legend of the Fist” bit is making more sense now isn’t it? The character has always been associated with a fist, its his trademark.

Donnie Yen has many connections to Bruce Lee. He cites Bruce Lee as an influence, he’s played Bruce Lee’s teacher in Ip Man, and has reprised multiple roles previously played by Lee. He has played Chen Zhen in Legend of the Fist as well as in the TV series Fist of Fury. Bruce Lee made a movie known in America as Fists of Fury, but the original title was The Big Boss. Donnie Yen made a movie called Snow Wolf, but the original title was The New Big Boss. All these connections make Donnie Yen the obvious choice for the role of Chen Zhen. He even throws some iconic Bruce Lee high pitched yelling into his fighting. It’s definitely toned down, but it’s still there.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen opens with one of the coolest action sequences I’ve seen in a long time. It has Donnie Yen’s character killing Germans in WWI. They have lots of men and lots of guns but he is just one man with three knives. He sprints and parkours through gun fire and slashes them to pieces in an action sequence that will have you shouting out loud.

Now after that incredible opening action sequence, the rest of the film is a bit of a disappointment. It’s definitely not bad, just slower paced. There are other action scenes and while they do not surpass the opening, they are all still awesome. The only problem is that the connecting bits between action sequences are not incredibly interesting. The film has a decent plot, but it feels the need to reiterate everything that is going on in between each scene.

It’s a shame that the movie peaks with it’s opening scene, as the rest of the movie seems even more slow and monotonous in comparison. The other fights are all superbly choreographed and executed and the action is fast and brutal. This is the kind of movie where you wish they swapped a couple of expositional scenes with a few more action sequences.

The final fight of the movie is a little mixed. It begins as Donnie Yen fights a large group of Japanese soldiers and then boils down to a one on one fight between him and the villain. The group fight is awesome and Donnie showcases incredible speed and kicks an average of 3.5 people in the face each time he leaves the ground, which is quite often. Unfortunately the one on one fight is a little disappointing. The fight isn’t bad by any means, but it lacks a certain flair.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen has good action, but terrible pacing. I would say that this is the kind of film where you should just skip to the exciting parts. If you watch Legend of the Fist you’ll probably have a good time, but you may be a little bored by certain sections.

One night while visiting a carnival, Moze encounters a pretty exotic dancer named Miss Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn) who he invites to go on the road. Madeline Kahn plays Trixie as a total floozy who knows exactly what she is but has a great sense of humor about it all. Trixie’s young maid, a 15 year old black girl named Imogene (P.J. Johnson) goes too, giving Addie some company. Its obvious that Addie is jealous of Trixie because Moze focuses all his attention on her but after a comical meeting of the minds, Addie decides to give in. When Addie finds out Moze has used most of their money to get a new car just to impress Trixie, her anger resurfaces and she thinks up a way to get rid of her. Moze is tricked into thinking Trixie has cheated on him with a man named Floyd (Burton Gilliam) the clerk at the hotel. Dissapointed by this discovery, he and Addie hit the road again.

When they make a stop in Kansas, Moze comes across a stash of moonshine and steals it, then sells it back to the man (John Hillerman) who owned it. What looks to be the perfect con goes sour when Moze and Addie are driving down a dark dirt road on the way out of town. They spot lights behind them and get pulled over and arrested by Deputy Hardin (Hillerman) who just happens to be the bootlegger’s twin brother. They’re brought to the local jail and booked. Using her wits, Addie asks to use the bathroom and for Moze to take her. This gives them the chance they need to escape. Now wanted by the law, the two must try to get to St. Joe without getting caught.

This film seemed to be tailor made for Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum to play. The natural father/daughter chemistry translated incredibly well to the big screen. It obviously helped make their fictional relationship seem even more true to life. Tatum went on to get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress which made her the youngest winner in the history of the Academy Awards. The supporting cast were all top notch as well including a young Randy Quaid who plays a hick named Leroy that wrestles Moze for ownership of a car.

Paper Moon was expertly photographed by Laszlo Kovacs and its black and white aesthetic was similar to Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). Kovacs used a special red filter on the camera to increase the contrast after Orson Welles’ advised him to do so. He also employed deep focus cinematography and extended takes in certain scenes to make the visuals even more stylized and bold. The many period details taken from the Depression era also made it especially authentic, from the music to the clothing to the cars.

This year marks the film’s 40th anniversary but it’s still just as fresh and fun as it must’ve been in 1973. I consider Paper Moon to be a perfect work of cinema. All the actors are superb, its paced well and you just have a great time going on this trip with Addie and Moze. Not only do you get a fantastic road movie/grifting subgenre crime film but a very funny, touching father/daughter story as well. This movie comes highly recommended!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: THE FLIM FLAM MAN, THE STING, 10 FURIOUS ROAD MOVIES, 10 MORE FURIOUS ROAD MOVIES

Duane Hall – Annie Hall (1977, Dir: Woody Allen)

Tom – Pennies From Heaven (1981, Dir: Herb Ross)

Nick – The Deer Hunter (1978, Dir: Michael Cimino)

Johnny Smith – The Dead Zone (1983, Dir: David Cronenberg)

Brad Whitewood Sr – At Close Range (1986, Dir: James Foley)

Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey – Biloxi Blues (1988, Mike Nichols)

Frank White – King of New York (1990, Dir: Abel Ferrara)

Vincenzo Coccotti – True Romance (1993, Dir: Tony Scott)

Captain Koons – Pulp Fiction (1994, Dir: Quentin Tarantino)

What are some of your favorite Christopher Walken films & characters? Let us know in our comments section!

Ernie follows through and meets Ruben who sets up some fights for him. The first bout goes rather bad and Ernie gets knocked out but he doesn’t give up and keeps training, improving with each match. Meanwhile his girlfriend Faye (Candy Clark) wants to get married but he’s not as keen on the idea and the two try to come to a decision as he chases his newfound career. After Earl is tossed back in jail, Tully and Oma move in together but what starts as a tender, loving relationship soon goes sour because of Oma’s drinking and bad temper. Inspired by Ernie and with some help from Ruben, Tully is able to return to boxing and wins his fight against a Mexican fighter named Lucero (Sixto Rodriguez) although the cash prize (a measly $100) and the success he enjoys don’t inspire him like he thought.

Based on the book by Leonard Gardner (who also wrote the screenplay) FAT CITY was John Huston’s return to critical success after he had made several flops. While the movie definitely isn’t a Rocky style boxing story (I saw it as a kind of Charles Bukowski meets John Steinbeck tale), its impact comes from the honest depictions of the characters. Stacy Keach’s Tully is one of his finest performances while Susan Tyrrell really stands out as Oma playing her as sad, funny and spiteful (she got a Best Supporting Actress nomination that year). Jeff Bridges’ Ernie really isn’t a complex or flashy guy but he plays him with an integrity that he brings to every role. The cinematography by Conrad Hall gives the film a wonderfully run down, sleazy look and evokes just the right kind of atmosphere for these ‘salt of the earth’ people to inhabit.

He was born and grew up in Chicago with an early dream of becoming a baseball player. Of course life takes you down different paths and after high school he found himself working at a TV studio where he began making contacts and developed an interest in the world of entertainment. After seeing Citizen Kane at a theater one afternoon (and watching it 5 times) he had a revelation about becoming a filmmaker like Orson Welles. He soon took his first leap into directing with a documentary about a convicted killer named Paul Crump who he believed was innocent. This production later earned him an award at the 1962 San Francisco Film Festival and gave him even more confidence to follow his dream. With help from his dedicated and shrewd agents he became a working director and was hired to do TV documentaries such as The Bold Men about death defying daredevils. After moving out to Los Angeles he became friends with musician Sonny Bono and got a chance to shoot his first theatrical feature which was called Good Times (1967) starring Sonny and Cher who were major pop stars. This period seemed to be one of his happiest and Bono became someone he truly admired as an artistic genius.

His follow up works would shape his artistry but also help him to realize what kind of director he really wanted to be. The musical comedy The Night They Raided Minskys (1968) wasn’t the right fit while The Birthday Party (1968) was certainly more inspired and a solid effort but the end result was nothing spectacular. The Boys in The Band (1970) about a group of gay men was controversial and groundbreaking. It marked a counter-cultural shift and was a kind of preview of the daring cinema that would come out of Hollywood in the 70s. Everything that he had learned in the business seemed to coalesce with his next project: The French Connection (1971) a New York set crime thriller which was based on true events in the lives of hard boiled police detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. The production had its share of tension and trouble due to producers interfering while star Gene Hackman (who delivered an outstanding performance) had his own doubts and conflicts. The movie went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. His next film based on a book by William Peter Blatty called The Exorcist (1973) about a demonic possession became an instant hit with audiences. He was at the top of his game and living the high life.

With two smash successes to his name another risk didn’t mean much. Inspired by Clouzot’s 1953 French film The Wages of Fear, he next set out to do a remake he called Sorceror (1977). Soon after casting the film (which was originally to star Steve McQueen) and heading to the Dominican Republic the production became plagued by troubles due to the things like weather and drug use on the set. It was later released and was a box office flop but found an appreciation from cineastes who now regard it as a lost masterpiece. The Brink’s Job (1978) brought him to Boston where the crime it was based on took place in 1950. The cast was excellent (Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, Peter Boyle, Warren Oates) but it only got a mediocre reception and didn’t make much of an impact. No stranger to controversy, Cruising (1980) about murders in the underground gay S & M clubs in New York City was his most daring film up to that time. It also was not a hit and caused a backlash from much of the gay community. It’s now considered a cult classic due to the shocking, taboo subject matter. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) would take him back to the adrenaline charged action of The French Connection but with an New Wave 80s aesthetic. It turned out to be one of the best movies of his career.

In the 90s Mr. Friedkin tried his hand at directing an opera which was a refreshing and fulfilling experience. He also made a film about basketball (one of his lifelong passions) called Blue Chips (1994) starring Nick Nolte. He delved back into exploring the darker side of the human psyche with the erotic thriller Jade (1995) from a script written by Joe Ezterhaus (Basic Instinct) and worked in TV on a modern version of 12 Angry Men. In the 2000s he shot the war drama Rules of Engagement (2000), the action thriller The Hunted (2003) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro and directed two films based on plays by Tracy Letts, a paranoia induced descent into madness called Bug (2006) starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon and a Southern Fried, pitch black comedy Killer Joe (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch. For those of us who followed his career and loved his movies these were a return to the audacious and edgy trademark Friedkin cinema that first captured our imaginations.

Throughout his life William Friedkin has faced a myriad of career and health problems but when he got knocked down he got right up and continued to work on himself and his art with an open mind. I was honestly inspired by his story. It was profound from an artistic standpoint but also entertaining and funny on many levels because of the outrageous situations and colorful characters he encountered on his journeys. I’d highly recommend this book to both movie buffs and artists in general. It’s a candid, no frills look at the life of one of our great American filmmakers that’s been to the top and the bottom of the Hollywood rollercoaster and is still thrilling audiences with his own unique brand of cinema.

Special Thanks to Stephanie Selah at Harper-Collins

Man Bites Dog is a found footage film. I am not a big fan of the genre. I would almost say I hate the whole genre but there are of course a few exceptions. Most found footage films are simply terrible. An example would be Paranormal Activity which is dreadful and there are other awful exorcism subgenre films than I care to list. An example of a recent good found footage film would be the horror film V/H/S (which I plan to review eventually). So, is Man Bites Dog one of the few good found footage films? The footage that has been found is a documentary that was being made by a crew of independent filmmakers focusing on the day to day activities of a serial killer. I find Man Bites Dog’s concept to be fascinating. It’s such an interesting idea and makes for a great film. The found footage effect is completely necessary in this film. Found footage is much more understandable when it has a central purpose to the plot. Here’s an example: Man Bites Dog needed the found footage effect as part of the story. A film such as End of Watch (while being a good film) did not need to have the found footage effect. Change a couple lines of dialogue and it would have been just as effective.

Man Bites Dog is known as a dark comedy. The comedic element of the film is actually a major selling point, even the tagline promotes this ideal saying “A killer comedy”. I actually did not think of it as a comedy. I feel that this could be misleading to some viewers. There are some funny moments, but it’s not a comedy in the traditional sense. It’s the absurdity of the situation and the reactions of the characters that bring the comedy. Calling Man Bites Dog a comedy is like calling The Terminator a love story. Yeah there are some underlying themes and few key moments that represent the genre, but it’s not the central point, nor is it focused on a great deal.

Man Bites Dog is a hard film to classify. It’s very strange, which is a big reason of why it’s so effective. When picking a genre, I would say it’s close to horror but not in the traditional sense of course. Man Bites Dog is horror in the way that Red State is horror. The events that take place are based in reality and could actually happen. The actions of the characters are truly “Horrifying” from a real world stand point. The fact that these things could very easily occur is what makes the situation frightening.

The main character is serial killer named Benoit, played by a man who is also named Benoit. In fact, most of the cast use their real names. They’re even playing themselves in way. In the film is a camera crew and director, playing the camera crew and director. It’s strange to think that this guy who is killing people is playing himself. Benoit is a very interesting character. He’s not a mindless killer like Jason, and he’s not a high class intellectual like Hannibal Lecter, he’s closer to a normal guy. I think this makes the situation all the more tense. Here is a guy who can blend perfectly into society while committing heinous acts. In fact there are scenes with Benoit’s parents who are his real parents. They thought that it was an actual documentary on their son, they didn’t know that he was portraying a serial killer. Benoit is an uncompromising killer who kills mainly just for entertainment. He also steals from the people he kills, but the money is not what he’s after. Benoit oddly has a poetic nature about him. He even recites a full piece about pigeons. He makes stark commentaries on life while taking it away from others. He satirizes what is acceptable in society while breaking preset taboos.

Benoit is the main focus of the film. He spends most of the run time talking to the camera, but there are other characters like the film crew, which consists of three people at any given time. They are poorly developed aside from Remy the director. He is a well constructed character and you follow his progression throughout the film. The other film crew members are completely uninteresting. The things that happen to them have very little impact due to their lack of build up. Most of the people in the film are simply those who get killed, there are some minor characters but no one that stands out.

Right from the opening shot of the film, the tone is set. A shocking display of violence taking place in a crowded public area. That sets most of the film up from there, aside from the social commentary. The murder is not glorified, it’s realistic. The filmmakers did not build sets for the film, they went out and found places where they could kill people, and places where they could dispose of the bodies. The areas are real locations in the city where the film was shot i.e. true guerilla filmmaking.

Man Bites Dog is a truly unique experience. It’s unlike any film I’ve seen before. The film does drag a bit towards the end. To clarify, it feels as though it would have been just shy of a feature so they added a few scenes as fluff. The scenes aren’t completely bad, but they do feel out of place and unnecessary, almost out of character. The film seems as though it has two endings. The movie hits a spot where it could end, then continues a little further only to end right after that.

Man Bites Dog is an incredible experimental experience and should get more recognition for it’s ingenuity. It’s interesting that the filmmakers never went on to do any other films. The main actor Benoit has, but Remy Belvaux the main director stopped after just one film. He did some commercials afterwards but no features or even short films. Perhaps it’s a case of a man feeling the need to tell just this one story. Maybe he thought he had completed his masterpiece and wanted to go out on top. Maybe he just couldn’t think of anything else. I don’t know, I’d really like to, but I don’t.

There is a very strange case that I just found out about recently. There is a sequel to Man Bites Dog. Yeah, it’s just called “Man Bites Dog: The Sequel”. It came out in 2012 a full 20 years after the original, and it doesn’t feature any of the same cast members. The character of Benoit is in it but with a different actor. Now normally I would just assume that this was a fan film. It takes place in New York this time, so I would figure that someone saw the original and really liked it and decided to make a fan tribute sequel where they lived. The really weird thing is that one of the writers of the film is named Remy Belvaux which is the filmmaker of the original film. That is really weird. Did this guy change his name or did he just happen to have the same name as the guy who wrote the original movie? That would be very weird. It’s even weirder considering the real Remy Belvaux committed suicide. It’s a very strange case. I would like to know more information on this.

Man Bites Dog is definitely worth watching. It’s not for the casual viewer and it may require you to be in a specific morbid mood, but it is one of the best found footage films I’ve seen to date, and is an incredibly interesting profile of a serial killer, done with a low budget which only enhances the effect. It’s both controversial and morbid, but a well done cinematic experience.

The opening of the film gets the action rolling fast as we witness a high stakes game of survival set up by the wealthy eccentric Emil Fouchon (Lance Henrikssen). Fouchon runs a secret underground organization that offers homeless people (usually war veterans) a chance to get back on their feet again, only it’s not in the usual good samaritan fashion. They are given $10,000 in cash which is placed in a money belt they wear and must race on foot to a chosen destination. If they can make it without being killed by the “clients” who have paid to hunt them with Fouchon and his crew, the money is theirs. The latest prey is a down n’ outer named Douglas Binder (screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer) who nearly succeeds in his attempt to reach the river.

Binder’s daughter Natasha (Yancy Butler) hasn’t heard from her dad in weeks and being worried she starts looking around New Orleans for him. She later learns that he was actually homeless and too ashamed to ask for help. On her search in the city she is assaulted by two men but is saved by the mysterious, mullet-haired Chance Boudreux (Jean Claude Van Damme) who, using his martial arts expertise, takes the punks out swiftly, with style. Afterwards, Natasha and Chance get to know each other and she explains her reason for being in town. Not a stranger to the streets himself, Chance offers his assistance in finding her father in return for money so he can pay his dues to start working again as a merchant seaman.

The more Chance snoops around and begins finding clues as to what really happened to Binder, he gains the unfortunate notice of Fouchon and his lieutenant, Pik Van Cleaf (Arnold Vosloo) who handles all his dirty work. They realize that their only way of keeping their successful business going is to cut off any loose ends and that includes Chance, Natasha and others. With Fouchon and his men on their trail, Chance must use all his skills to keep them at bay while protecting Natasha. He decides the best plan is to hide out in the bayou where he grew up. His good old Uncle Douvee (Wilford Brimley) a Cajun (who has a very bad accent and loves making moonshine whiskey) comes to his aid upon his arrival. The firey finale, which is set at a Mardi Gras float warehouse is truly explosive with Fouchon, Pik and the other thugs taking on Chance, the one man cajun army.

Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Darkman) was one of the producers on the film and even though he didn’t direct, Hard Target oddly feels like a Raimi production in some ways, most notably the moments of screwball humor. His brother Ted even has a cameo as a New Orleans resident who reacts angrily after being asked by one of Fouchon’s targets for some help. There’s also a standout scene that has Chance actually punching a fake snake when it tries to bite Natasha. Whether or not Raimi had any influence on these things I’m not sure.

Hard Target is a highly stylized film and along with all the trademark Woo-ized slow motion shots, guns akimbo and explosions, the acting and comedy is just as heightened. This is essentially why I became an instant Woo fan. Van Damme had been a huge star from films like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart and Death Warrant and this film continued his streak of extremely entertaining action cinema. His own good hearted tough guy persona paired with John Woo’s hyper-realistic visceral style was just a perfect match. Co-star Lance Henrikssen is superb as Fouchon, playing him about as over the top as he can be without it turning into a joke. He chews up every scene he’s in mostly fueled by his character’s constant rage at Chance’s meddling and the incompentent thugs that he’s employed to help him. Even when he’s playing the piano in his luxurious home, he does it with an extravagance and intensity.

James Spader plays James Ballard a TV director who is in an open marriage with his wife Catherine (Debra Kara Unger). The two both have unemotional affairs then tell each other about them to heighten their own lovemaking. One night while driving on the highway Ballard becomes distracted by something he’s reading, jumps a median and gets in a head on collision with another car. The driver is thrown through Ballard’s windshield and killed, while the passenger (his wife) Dr. Helen Remington (Holly Hunter) survives and oddly reveals her naked breast to Ballard who is still conscious. While Ballard is recuperating in the hospital, Catherine pleasures him as she sensually describes the car wreckage. Later on when he’s exercising his leg by walking through the halls, he sees Dr. Remington and is approached by a man (Elias Koteas) who inspects his wound.

Following his discharge from the hospital James goes the impound where his totaled car is and encounters Helen there. The two end up having passionate sex in his car then go to see a performance art show starring Vaughan the same man he met at the hospital. It is a live re-creation of James Dean’s tragic car crash in 1955. Vaughan seems to be entranced as he describes the events of that day to the audience. The piece ends with both Vaughan and his co-star/friend Seagrave (Peter MacNeill) being mildly wounded after the crash. When the local authorities arrive and break up the underground show, Vaughn brings Helen, James and Seagrave drive back his rundown home. This is where Ballard is introduced to a strange underground subculture of people whose fetish is sexual stimulation from car crashes. Vaughan has an extensive library of videos and photo albums that he pours through and gets off on. His theory is that “the car crash is a fertilizing rather than destructive event, a liberation of sexual energy” that can’t be done to such an extreme degree in any other way.

David Cronenberg who was best known for his sci-fi films like Shivers, Scanners and Videodrome puts a spin on the disturbing body horror and instead of evoking fears, the wreckages, braces, scars, wounds and even tattoos are turned into sexual imagery and metaphors. Where the film gets its real energy from is the many bizarre twists it puts on the steamy thrillers we’ve all seen before. Ballard’s controversial subject matter and Cronenberg’s own interests and sensibilities seemed to fit perfectly together.

Crash is an undeniably captivating film experience, one that pulls you into its world through acts of eroticism then takes you down another road where sex and technology merge. It is about control, obsessions and taboos, going beyond the limits and becoming endangered and/or enlightened by how one responds to them. I think what Crash succeeds in doing most amazingly is the way it shows us the exhilleration and danger of human frailties through both psychological and physical trauma. It is one of David Cronenberg’s finest works of visionary cinema.

After years of rumors, horror fans finally have director Fede Alvarez’s ultra-gruesome reimagining Evil Dead, and it arrives in theaters with an overwhelming amount of hype, a giddy blessing from the makers of the original film (Raimi, original star Bruce Campbell, and original producer Robert G. Tapert all serve as producers here), and a tagline proudly declaring it as “the most terrifying film you will ever experience.” That is a pretty bold claim! Well folks, this reimagining (the filmmakers are adamant that it ISN’T a remake) is far from the scariest film you will ever experience. Hell, it doesn’t even come close to reaching the levels of terror that Raimi reached back in ‘81. However, you should be warned that Alvarez’s Evil Dead is without question that most brutal, violent, shocking, and repulsive mainstream movie you will see. Once that howling demon charged out of the woods and the blood started flowing out of that cabin, I absolutely could not believe that this film earned an R-rating. Get your barf bags ready!

Evil Dead introduces us to Mia (played by Jane Levy), a drug addict trying to go cold-turkey with the help of her estranged brother, David (played by Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend, Natalie (played by Elizabeth Blackmore), nurse Olivia (played by Jessica Lucas), and childhood friend Eric (played by Lou Taylor Pucci). Desperate to make sure that Mia doesn’t fall back into her nasty habit, the group decides to take her to an isolated cabin in the woods, a place where the friends spent much of their childhood. Shortly after arriving at the dilapidated cabin, Mia begins complaining of a horrible odor coming from somewhere within the cabin. After a bit of searching and snooping, the group stumbles upon the macabre basement, where they find a slew of dead cats and a strange book wrapped in a trash bag and barbed wire. Naturally, curiosity gets the best of the group and they decide to read a couple of passages despite the countless warnings scribbled on the pages. Soon, Mia begins suffering from bizarre hallucinations that the group waves off as just another symptom of withdraw. However, after a violent attack with a shot gun and a hair-raising warning that they are all going to die, the group begins to suspect that there may be supernatural forces emerging from the woods.

Alvarez certainly scores points with attempting something new with a familiar formula. He could have easily just served up a bunch of dimwitted teenagers retreating to a cabin for a weekend of drinking and hooking up, but he opts for something more mature and that certainly toys with the audience, at least early on. During the early hallucinations, you can’t help but suspect that maybe this is all just in Mia’s head, but Alvarez hits the breaks on this when Eric mumbles passages from that dreaded book. From that point on, all the emphasis is put on the blood, guts, and gore and Evil Dead delivers it all while wielding an assortment of power tools and, yes, that legendary boomstick. Your stomach will do a somersault as one character slices off her own face, you’ll cringe as nails are shot from a nail gun into another characters arm (and face and leg), you’ll cover your eyes as one character yaks bloody vomit all over another character’s face, and then, in the ultimate gross-out moment, a character pulls a syringe needle from just underneath their eyeball. Just when you are convinced Evil Dead can’t get anymore gruesome, the grand finale finds the lone hero facing off against a yellow-eyed demon with nothing but a chainsaw, all while gooey blood rains from the blackened sky. It is the blood-dipped cherry on the top of this gore sundae.

While Evil Dead excels in the effects department, it takes a dip when it comes to the acting. Alvarez appears to be under the impression that audiences will be flocking to his Evil Dead simply for the extreme gore, but he forgets that what made the original film so memorable was the acting, especially from Bruce Campbell. None of the actors or actresses in this Evil Dead come close to giving the performance that Campbell did, but two of the five really stand out. Levy does a fine job as the drug-addict Mia, and she does make you chew on your nails when she is overtaken by the growling poltergeist. She snaps her head around and goes wild-eyed while howling, “you’re all going to die tonight!”. In between Levy’s frenzied blasts, Pucci is busy with being hilariously terrified and appalled the entire time. In this humorless and heavy affair, his Eric manages to make us chuckle (his reaction to the self-mutilation in front of him is absolutely priceless). While Levy and Pucci are busy stealing the show, Fernandez and Lucas look like they are trying way too hard to be serious, but there is a nifty little fake out with Fernandez’s character near the end of the film. Blackmore’s Olivia is completely underdeveloped and almost forgotten until Alvarez needs her to start hacking, chopping, and shooting both herself and her chums.

It may be hard to believe, but Alvarez’s Evil Dead is absolutely dazzling to look at. Some scenes look washed out while others are plunged into complete darkness. The film is thick with a grimy and grungy atmosphere that is made all the more surreal through peculiar camera angles and an oddly beautiful score from Roque Banos. When things erupt, Banos cues what sounds like a toxic alarm to announce the snarling ghouls and I must say, it is an effective and icky tool. For a film with so much going for it, it is frustrating to find Alvarez falling back on the same old jump scares and loud music blasts to nab a jolt. As much as I hate to say it, this tactic just seemed cheap and lazy when layered over the rich production.

Overall, even though it isn’t as scary as it promised and at times feels completely unnecessary, Evil Dead gets the job done when it comes to nauseating its audience and it does it style. It is an absolutely blast spotting references to the original film and there are more than a few moments that will go down in the horror history books. Make sure you stick around through the end credits for a surprise that will have horror fans everywhere erupting in applause. Grade: B+

Robert DeNiro stars as Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring stand up comedian. When we first meet him he’s waiting in line to catch a glimpse of the popular Johnny Carson-esque late night TV host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) after a taping of one of his live shows. Rupert is just one of the many rabid fans desperate to get near Jerry in hopes of a greeting or an autograph. When Rupert’s friend Masha (Sandra Bernhard) attacks Jerry after hiding in his limo, Rupert sees his chance and helps  get him away from both Masha and the mob of people, ending up in the car as it speeds off. Rupert uses this brief time to express his longtime admiration for Jerry (his hero) and explains his goal of being a professional comic just like him. The only thing is Rupert hasn’t worked in the business, but he truly believes in his heart he is ready for the big time. Jerry can see Rupe’s sheer enthusiasm but tells him he needs to start at the bottom just like he had to. Rupe is so convinced of his talent he takes this meeting as some kind of big break. On the way into his hotel, Jerry tells Rupert to drop by the studio and he’ll see what he can do for him. An elated Rupert leaves with encouragement from “The” Jerry Langford and new hope for a shot at his dream.

Rupert stops by Jerry’s office where he’s greeted by Ms. Long (Shelly Hack), a production assistant. When Rupert inquires about his one on one meeting with Jerry, he is instead urged to make a tape of his act and bring it in. At home, due to his excitement, he gets too loud recording the audition and his mother (Catherine Scorsese) yells at him to keep it down because it’s so late causing Rupert to angrily respond: “MOM!! I need to do this now!” (I always get a laugh from how sincere Rupert is as he explains his ideas to Jerry on the tape). After dropping the tape off, Ms. Long conveys that they don’t think he’s quite experienced enough and suggests that he work in some small clubs and hone his act. Rupert strongly disagrees and considers her opinion to be completely wrong. He also doesn’t relent at trying to get Jerry’s attention by returning several times to the building and forcing his way into the office. This disruption gets him swiftly escorted out to the street by security. The confrontational scenes here are very comical due to people continually getting his last name wrong, referring to him as “Pipkin”, “Pumpkin”, “Pitkin”, and “Puffer”.

Knowing that he won’t be getting the chance to be on TV as he wished, Rupert’s delusions begin spinning out of control. He even invites himself and his girlfriend Rita (Diahnne Abbott) to Jerry’s summer home in the country. When Jerry furiously reprimands him and tells him to get out, Rupert sees that Jerry is not on his side and decides to do something even more drastic to get the attention he is seeking. With help from Masha, Rupert puts a plan together that will get him into the bright spotlight in more ways than one.

Jerry Lewis was exceptionally great in this film playing Langford as a short tempered veteran of showbiz. This is juxtaposed with other scenes of Rupe’s daydreams in which the two are best of friends with Jerry admiring Rupert’s talents. In one of the best scenes with Jerry that comments on the warped nature of fame occurs when he’s walking down the street and people are recognizing him, yelling hello, etc. A woman asks him to say a word to someone on the payphone and when Jerry explains he can’t because hes late, the woman curses him with cancer. This was actually based on a real event Lewis experienced.

Sandra Bernhard is simply fantastic and makes a unique sidekick for Robert DeNiro. She really got to let loose with the Masha character and I wished she was in more movies after watching her in this. The scenes with Masha and Rupert arguing like little kids are just hilarious and when she finally gets to spend some special intimate time with Jerry, it’s some of the best moments in the film.

For me, this is one of Robert DeNiro’s very best performances and what’s special about it is that it’s a comedic role as opposed to the dramatic kind he’s most known for. I’ve seen him in other comedies over the years like Analyze This or Meet The Parents and he was good in both but in The King of Comedy he really hit the mark because of his timing and creation of his wacky personality as Rupe. Rupert Pupkin is essentially a flipside of that other classic Scorsese character Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. Both men are outsiders (Rupert being an extrovert, Travis an introvert) and are obsessed with something. For Travis it’s ridding the streets of crime (as well as the love of Betsy), for Rupert it’s becoming famous. Unlike Travis, Rupert is shown to be very good with the opposite sex and succeeds rather quickly at charming Rita his old high school crush. In a nice related twist, Diahnne Abbott played the movie theater girl that Travis hits on and fails with. Another thread that ties Taxi Driver and King of Comedy together is the fact both these self deluded characters have fantasies that cross over into reality (one is violent the other artistic) and surprisingly each become heroes because of how they are perceived by the public.

The King of Comedy was the follow up to Scorsese’s 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull and it actually wasn’t the project he had wanted to do (he was intent on making The Last Temptation of Christ). Upon its release it wasn’t successful at the box office either (the budget was 19 million and only made 2). 30 years later Scorsese fans consider it to be a classic of his career. It’s yet another case of a great film that over time has found an appreciation that it didnt get in its initial run.